Storage in traditional farming communities of the western Mediterranean: Ethnographic,historical and archaeological data

Abstract

This paper presents ethnographic, historic and archaeological data from the western Mediterranean in order to explore the variability of storage methods and the various strategies that may have existed in the past in this region. The paper includes ethnographic information on traditional storage methods collected in farming communities in northern Morocco (Rif area). We record the use of plant fibres such as canes (Arundo donax), dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis), esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima) and dis (Ampelodesmos mauritanica) to make containers. Recipients made of cow dung and unfired clay, as well as underground silos, have been also used in this region to store food. In addition, we explore historical and ethnohistorical data on the use of large storage structures, including the study of communal granaries, a particular type of granary located at inaccessible places, such as cliff faces or mountain tops, or within fortified buildings, from which harvests can be easily protected and defended. We also examine the archaeological evidence of storage strategies in the Iberian Peninsula during prehistoric times. The paper informs of the large variety of systems and materials used, the functioning of storage structures, and more generally, provides a framework for reflecting on the enormous diversity of solutions that could have existed in the past and that may have left little or none archeological traces.     

Book reviews

CHINA

JANE KATE LEONARD. Controlling from Afar, The Daoguang Emperor's Management of the Grand Canal Crisis, 1824–1826. Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan, 1996. 331 pp. Maps, figures, notes, reference list, index. US$50.00, hardcover.

KAM LOUIE and LOUISE EDWARDS, editors and translators. Censored by Confucius: ghost Stories by Yuan Mei. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1996. xxxv, 223 pp. List of stories by theme, illustrations, preface, introduction. US$67.95, hardcover; US$24.95, paper.

KARMA LEKSHE TSOMO. Sisters in Solitude: two Traditions of Buddhist Monastic Ethics for Women. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. xii, 198 pp. US$19.95, paper.

JAPAN, KOREA

MARK T. BERGER and DOUGLAS A. BORER, editors. The Rise of East Asia: critical Visions of the Pacific Century. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. xii, 308 pp. Introduction, editors’ preface and acknowledgments, figures, tables, index. US$25.99, UK£15.99, paper.

SOUTH ASIA

LISE McKEAN. Divine Enterprise: gurus and the Indian Nationalist Movement. Chicago and London: Chicago University Press, 1996. xviii, 361 pp. Index, plates, bibliography. US$21.99, paper.

STANLEY J. TAMBIAH. Leveling Crowds: ethnonationalist Conflicts and Collective Violence in South Asia. Berkeley: California University Press, 1996. x, 395 pp. Index, plates, maps, bibliography. US$20.00, paper.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

NGUYEN VAN CHINH. Social Change in Rural Vietnam: children's Work and Seasonal Migration. Canberra: Department of Political and Social Change, Australian National University, 1997. 65 pp. A$8.00, paper.

JOHN GILLESPIE, editor. Commercial Legal Developments in Vietnam: Vietnamese and Foreign Commentaries . Singapore: Butterworths Asia, 1997. A$81.25, hardcover.

MARGARET LEIDELMEIJER. Van Suikermolen tot Grooibedrijf: technische Verniewing in de Java‐Suikerindustrie in de Negentiende Eeuw . [From sugar mill to factory: technical innovation in Java's sugar industry during the nineteendi century]. Amsterdam: Neder‐lands Economisch‐Historisch Archief, 1997. 388 pp. Tables, graphs, photographs. Dfl.52.50, paper.

NIELS MULDER. Inside Philippine Society . Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1997. No price given.

FAYDUMAGAT. Itneg (Tinggian) Justice & Conflict Resolution. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1996. No price given.

RAUL PERTIERRA. Explorations in Social Theory and Philippines Ethnography. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1997. vii, 262 pp. Foreword by Clive Kessler. Introduction, photographs. No price given, paper.

DAVID M. E. ROSKIES, translator and editor. Black Clouds over the Isle of Gods and Other Modern Indonesian Short Stories . Armonk, New York, London, England: M. E. Sharp, 1997. xxiii, 224 pp. Introduction, notes and comments, suggested readings, glossary, index. US$62.95, hardcover; US$19.95, paper.     

Robustness of econometrically estimated local multipliers across different methods and data

Local traded‐goods employment multiplier estimates play an important role in the decision making of local policy makers. Therefore, it is important to understand the robustness of the approaches and quality of the data used in empirical studies. The local employment multiplier estimates by Moretti (AER; 2010) are a good benchmark for departure. In this paper, I find the traded‐goods multiplier falls within the range of 1.17 to 1.93, which is substantially lower than the estimate of 2.6 obtained by Moretti. I use multiple estimators in combination with two data sets, a range of controls and different ways of classifying traded industries to show the robustness and variability of local employment multiplier estimates. Finally, I demonstrate the sensitivity of Moretti's results. The most notable result being that Moretti's multiplier for separate skilled or unskilled workers in the nontraded sector is overestimated by a factor of 2.     

The acceleration of transitions to urban sustainability: a case study of Brighton and Hove

Cities raise major challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainability. Much literature on urban sustainability focuses on specific aspects such as planning practices, urban policy or the diffusion of more sustainable technologies or practices. However, attempts at understanding the mechanisms of structural change towards sustainability have resulted in the emergence of an interdisciplinary field of sustainability transitions research. Transitions research has developed a phase model of transitions in which predevelopment, take-off, acceleration and stabilization phases are distinguished. However, the acceleration phase has received limited attention so far. This is a crucial gap as policy-makers are keen to accelerate transitions. This paper aims to enhance our understanding of how local actions contribute towards accelerating urban sustainability transitions. It does so by testing an acceleration mechanisms framework through exploring the collective agency of local initiatives in urban sustainability transitions. Drawing on a case study of the city of Brighton and Hove (UK), the paper finds that despite favourable local political conditions, there is a lack of evidence of acceleration apart from in individual domains such as food or mobility. Progress is found to depend on the agency of initiatives to both scale up sustainable practices and embed these practices into local governance arrangements.     

‘It’s one of the first times I’ve felt fully engaged’: developing student engagement using blogging as a form of assessment

There is a widespread debate in higher education about how best to support students in becoming more active and engaged learners. Geographers have occupied a central position in these debates having long been concerned with understanding and creating teaching spaces that encourage active and experiential learning. Recent pedagogical innovations have seen a movement away from a reliance on lecturing as the key pedagogical method and a redefinition of the roles of both teacher and learner. In this paper, we look at the role that assessment, specifically assessed blogs, can play in enhancing student engagement. Drawing on interviews with Course Organizers from two case study courses, student focus groups, and course evaluation surveys we show the various ways in which blogs enhance engagement. We draw attention to how blogging enabled students to personalize their learning and make it more meaningful to them, as well as to foster greater engagement with the course materials including making connections across the course as a whole. Further, we show how blogging enabled students to develop transferable skills that would stand them in good stead for the rest of their time at university and in their future professional lives.